Combined pocket ash trays and cigarette cases



D.- l. GEDEON 3,143,116 COMBINED POCKET ASH TRAYS AND CIGARETTE CASES Aug. 4, 1964 Filed July 3. 1961 fffi- 'mysmfqn:

DONALD l. GEDEON United States Patent 3,143,116 COMBINED POCKET ASH TRAYS AND CIGARETTE CASES Donald L Gedeon, 8444 Fullerton Ave., River Grove, Ill. Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 122,065 2 Claims. ((31. 131-238) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in smoking accessories, and the principal ob ect of the mvention is to provide an easily portable, pocket or purse carried device which may be conveniently employed as a case for a package of cigarettes as well as an ash tray wherein the user may conveniently deposit ashes and cigarette butts on occasions when conventional ash trays are not readily available.

By affording this convenience, the invention eliminates the usual annoyance, embarrassment and even damage or injury by fire, which often results from dropping ashes on the floor, leaving burning cigarettes on furniture, seeking ash trays which cannot be found, or holding cigarettes until they burn close to the fingers.

An important feature of the invention therefore resides in the provision of a combined pocket ash tray and cigarette case which may be easily carried upon the person of the user and which, as such, is instantly available, either as a cigarette case or as an ash tray, when required.

Another feature of the invention resides in the arrangement of the device so that cigarettes may be easily extracted from their package in the case without interfering with the use of the case as an ash tray.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of closure means for the ash tray so that the contents thereof do not spill when the device is placed in a pocket or purse, while another feature of the invention involves the arrangement of the cigarette package holder in conjunction with the ash tray so that cigarette butts deposited in the ash tray may be crushed and extinguished in a simple and convenient manner.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, efficient and convenient operation, pleasing appearance, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the foregoing more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a group isometric view showing the components of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary isometric view of the assembled casing, holder and closure plate;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembled invention, the holder and the closure plate being slid into the casing; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view, similar to that shown in FIGURE 3 but showing the holder and closure plate partially withdrawn from the casing and the cap of the holder separated therefrom.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the combined pocket ash tray and cigarette case in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral and embodies in its construction a substantially rectangular box-shaped casing 11 having an open end 12, a closed end wall 13, a pair of side walls 14, a bottom wall 15 and a top wall 16. The top wall 16 is provided with a rectangular opening 17 so that the marginal edges of the top wall 16 define a perimetric flange around the opening, as shown.

A holder 18 for a cigarette package shown by the dotted lines 18a is slidably positioned in the casing 11 and is projectable through the open end 12 of the casing. The holder 18 is U-shaped in cross-section and includes a bottom wall 19, a pair of side walls 20 and a closed inner end wall 21, the top and the outer end of the holder being open, as shown. A closure panel 22 for the opening 17 is slidable in the casing 11 independently of the holder 18, the panel 22 being interposed between the top wall 16 of the casing and the upper edges of the side walls 20 of the holder. Both the holder 18 and the panel 22 project outwardly somewhat from the open end of the casing 11 even when they are slid as far as possible thereinto, and these protruding portions of the holder and panel receive thereon a removable cap 23 which, when in position, constitutes a closure not only for the open outer end of the holder, but also for the open end 12 of the casing, as will be readily apparent.

When the device is in use, the cigarette package is placed in the holder 18 and cigarettes may be removed therefrom by simply removing the cap 23 so that the package is exposed. When it is desired to use the device as an ash tray, the protruding portions of the panel 22 and holder 18 may be grasped by the fingers and both the panel and holder withdrawn to some extent from the casing 11, as illustrated in FIGURE 4. If the protruding portion of the panel cannot be conveniently grasped, the panel may be slid outwardly by a finger pressed against the panel through the opening 17. In any event, with the parts in the position shown in FIGURE 4, the interior of the casing 11 between its closed end wall 14 and the inner end wall 21 of the holder 18 will provide a receptacle 24 for ashes and butts, which may be deposited therein through the opening 17. The end wall 21 of the holder not only serves to prevent the cigarette package 18a from catching fire from ashes in the receptacle 24, but also functions to crush cigarette butts in the receptacle against the wall 13 when the holder 18 is slid inwardly into the casing, thus providing a convenient facility for extinguishing the butts. The panel 22 may he slid inwardly independently of the holder so as to close the opening 17 and prevent the contents of the receptacle 24 from spilling when the device is placed in a pocket or purse, and it may be also noted that access to the cigarette package 18a is available even when the device is used as an ash tray.

Suitable indentations 25, 26 are provided, respectively in the casing and holder to function as detent means for releasably retaining the holder in its projected position, and the top wall 16 of the casing 11 is provided on the outside thereof with a convenient cigarette rest 27, disposed at the edge of the opening 17. This rest may be formed by simply undulating a portion of the top wall, as illustrated. If so preferred, the position of the holder 18 in the casing 11 may be reversed so that the bottom 19,

rather than the top edges of the walls 20, slidably engage the closure panel 22, whereby the cigarette package in the holder and the ash receptacle 24 may be accessible from the relatively opposite sides of the casing 11.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications may be resorted to, such as may lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A combined pocket ash tray and cigarette case, comprising a substantially rectangular box-shaped casing having an open end, a closed end wall, a pair of side walls, a bottom wall and a top wall provided with a substantially rectangular opening having its edges spaced inwardly from 3 the marginal edges of the top wall whereby portions of the top wall define a perimetric flange around said opening, a cigarette package holder slidably positioned in said casing and projectable through the open end thereof, said holder being U-shaped in cross-section and including a bottom, a pair of side walls, and an inner end Wall, the bottom of said holder slidably engaging the bottom wall of said casing and the side and end walls of the holder having upper edges spaced downwardly from the underside of the top wall of the casing, the interior of the casing between the closed end Wall of the latter and the inner end wall of said holder forming an ash receptacle when said holder is projected, said ash receptacle being accessible through said opening in the top wall of the casing, a flat closure plate for said opening slidably positioned in said casing in the space between the upper edges of the side and end walls of said holder and the top Wall of the casing, said closure plate being slidably projectable through the open end of said casing, said holder having an open outer end, and a removable closure cap provided on the open outer end of said holder, said closure cap also constituting a closure for the open end of the easing and serving to retain said flat closure plate against projection through the open end of the casing.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein a portion of said perimetric flange between said opening and the open end of said casing is provided with undulations to form a cigarette rest exteriorly on said flange portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 523,599 Schafer July 24, 1894 1,562,497 Derry Nov. 24, 1925 1,902,388 Welch Mar. 21, 1933 2,036,986 Treat Apr. 7, 1936 2,05 8,710 Montgomery Oct. 27, 1936 2,487,131 Harris Nov. 8, 1949 2,777,569 Starlre Ian. 15, 1957 

1. A COMBINED POCKET ASH TRAY AND CIGARETTE CASE, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR BOX-SHAPED CASING HAVING AN OPEN END, A CLOSED END WALL, A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS, A BOTTOM WALL AND A TOP WALL PROVIDED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR OPENING HAVING ITS EDGES SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE MARGINAL EDGES OF THE TOP WALL WHEREBY PORTIONS OF THE TOP WALL DEFINE A PERIMETRIC FLANGE AROUND SAID OPENING, A CIGARETTE PACKAGE HOLDER SLIDABLY POSITIONED IN SAID CASING AND PROJECTABLE THROUGH THE OPEN END THEREOF, SAID HOLDER BEING U-SHAPED IN CROSS-SECTION AND INCLUDING A BOTTOM, A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS, AND AN INNER END WALL, THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOLDER SLIDABLY ENGAGING THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID CASING AND THE SIDE AND END WALLS OF THE HOLDER HAVING UPPER EDGES SPACED DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TOP WALL OF THE CASING, THE INTERIOR OF THE CASING BETWEEN THE CLOSED END WALL OF THE LATTER AND THE INNER END WALL OF SAID HOLDER FORMING AN ASH RECEPTACLE WHEN SAID HOLDER IS PROJECTED, SAID ASH RECEPTACLE BEING ACCESSIBLE THROUGH SAID OPENING IN THE TOP WALL OF THE CASING, A FLAT CLOSURE PLATE FOR SAID OPENING SLIDABLY POSITIONED IN SAID CASING IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE UPPER EDGES OF THE SIDE AND END WALLS OF SAID HOLDER AND THE TOP WALL OF THE CASING, SAID CLOSURE PLATE BEING SLIDABLY PROJECTABLE THROUGH THE OPEN END OF SAID CASING, SAID HOLDER HAVING AN OPEN OUTER END, AND A REMOVABLE CLOSURE CAP PROVIDED ON THE OPEN OUTER END OF SAID HOLDER, SAID CLOSURE CAP ALSO CONSTITUTING A CLOSURE FOR THE OPEN END OF THE CASING AND SERVING TO RETAIN SAID FLAT CLOSURE PLATE AGAINST PROJECTION THROUGH THE OPEN END OF THE CASING. 